nodded in a friendly manner to Mr Serjeant Snubbin, and said it was

a fine morning.

Who's that red-faced man, who said it was a fine morning, and

nodded to our counsel?' whispered Mr Pickwick.

'Mr Serjeant Buzfuz,' replied Perker. 'He's opposed to us; he leads on

the other side. That gentleman behind him is Mr Skimpin, his junior.'

Mr Pickwick was on the point of inquiring, with great abhorrence of

the man's cold-blooded villainy, how Mr, Serjeant Buzfuz, who was

counsel for the opposite party, dared to presume to tell Mr Serjeant

Snubbin, who was counsel for him, that it was a fine morning, when

he was interrupted by a general rising of the barristers, and a loud cry

of 'Silence!' from the officers of the court. Looking round, he found

that this was caused by the entrance of the judge.

Mr Justice Stareleigh (who sat in the absence of the Chief Justice,

occasioned by indisposition) was a most particularly short man, and

so fat, that he seemed all face and waistcoat. He rolled in, upon two

little turned legs, and having bobbed gravely to the Bar, who bobbed

gravely to him, put his little legs underneath his table, and his little

three-cornered hat upon it; and when Mr Justice Stareleigh had done

this, all you could see of him was two queer little eyes, one broad pink

face, and somewhere about half of a big and very comical-looking wig.

The judge had no sooner taken his seat, than the officer on the floor of

the court called out 'Silence!' in a commanding tone, upon which

another officer in the gallery cried 'Silence!' in an angry manner,

whereupon three or four more ushers shouted 'Silence!' in a voice of

indignant remonstrance. This being done, a gentleman in black, who

sat below the judge, proceeded to call over the names of the jury; and

after a great deal of bawling, it was discovered that only ten special

jurymen were present. Upon this, Mr Serjeant Buzfuz prayed a

TALES; the gentleman in black then proceeded to press into the

special jury, two of the common jurymen; and a greengrocer and a

chemist were caught directly.

'Answer to your names, gentlemen, that you may be sworn,' said the

gentleman in black. 'Richard Upwitch.'

Here,' said the greengrocer.

Thomas Groffin.'

Here,' said the chemist.

Take the book, gentlemen. You shall well and truly try - '

The Pickwick Papers